As it's a quiet Monday I wondered what fellow forumites first match experiences were. Mine was at the Dell in 1975 to see us beat Chelsea 4 - 1. Ray Wilkins was Chelsea's captain then at the grand old age of 18!
my earliest memory is pre season friendly at non league bashley, we won 3-0 I was 10 I think, so would have been 1999, I remember le god scoring a pen, and then running on pitch after game, to get an autograph with my grandad!
My dad took me to the Dell in 1949 to watch Saints. They had a famous centre forward called Charlie Wayman. I was only 9 years old myself, so don't remember any details about the game. I was hooked then and have been an avid fan ever since. I have been a ST holder for most of that time and have obviously seen, and had, some incredible experiences watching Saints.
My first game against Le Harve in 200/2001. I remember cheering 'Cmon you blues deliberately coz my dad kept going on about how much to sing on the reds...
My dad helped out with the car parking at the Dell so we got some tickets occasionally. I think I went two or three times in the couple of seasons before it closed. One of them my brother slept for the whole game. Another one might have been against Aston Villa, or West Ham. That's all I've got.
First match I remember was against Chelsea away when we beat them 4-2,at the time Chelsea were my favourite team because of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink then we beat them I started to like the saints.
Before I even liked football I went with a friend and his dad to the Dell (the only time i ever went), must have been 10 or 11 so 2001-ish. From what i remember of the game, it was Bristol Rovers (possibly) and I think it finished 0-0 although Saints had about 3 goals disallowed, needless to say i was hooked...
My first match seen at the Dell was December 1947. For some reason I think it was against QPR although I have no way of confirming this as I remember very little about the game. I also seem to remember it was a draw. (I could be a bit mixed up as to who the team was as the week previous I had gone to my first game ever down at Fratton Park) I also remember Charlie Wayman. Something else has just occurred to me. In the 50's I seem to remember Saints holding the first ever Floodlit match. I am not sure if it was the first ever floodlit professional match in the country. I just remember being down the dell it was against an all stars 11 including players like Stan Mathews and the like. Saints won I seem to remember and Tommy Trayner kept Stan Mathews quiet all game. It's funny how little things trigger other memories!!
West Ham at home first game of the season 1988/89. We were 3 - 0 up with a few of minutes to play so my dad wanted to leave to miss the rush. As I was leaving an odd looking player with a rather large nose had just come off the bench. By the time I had got to the back of the stand the same player had run past two players and drilled a shot past the keeper putting him the wrong way. I had never seen anything like it and from then on I was hooked. I was Le Tissier mad from that day onward and it was a privilege to watch his whole career.
Excellent Costa. A true long standing supporter and one of our more senior posters I should think. Probably even older than Beddy and possibly Fran as well.
Being 8 and watching us beat a team 6-3 in 1996, they were kind of a **** team tho. But still a good result.
First match of the season after England won the World Cup and Saints were promoted, so that was 1966/67. That made me 7, and I went on my own. All I remember is how incredibly green the grass was, and how much noise the crowd made. It actually slightly frightened me, they were so loud. But I was hooked. I went for 4 straights seasons before anyone had an inkling of what I was doing on Saturday afternoons and Wednesday nights. And what was happening to my pocket money. The result..? Saints 1 Man City 1, so my copy of In That Number tells me.
sounds like the Tranmere cup game. It was 0-0 and we had three disallowed at the Dell.... we won't mention the replay!
Beddy, You are quite right about Saints being the first club to hold a game under floodlights. I remember being there, but being an old senior, I can't remember who it was against. If you say it was against an All Stars team, then I am happy to accept that. The only time I remember Stanley Matthews playing at the Dell was when he came out of retirement and played again for Stoke. He was still some player!
Was that the one that was on the TV and I thought at halftime how nice it will be to relax and enjoy the 2nd half safe in the knowledge we were 3-0 up? Was it that one? Whoops I was supposed to reply with quotes! I'll get the hang of this soon....I'm talking about the Tranmere replay!
That's a fab story. Can you imagine a 7 year old doing that today? My first game was in the early 80s when I was a young slip of a girl and the company I worked for, Xerox, sponsored Southampton. It was the first company to sponsor any team I think? Anyway, got myself a ticket and was hooked ever since. Dave Watson. Bloody gorgeous. I remember that much!
first game was saints vs Liverpool. first season of the premiership. 1992-1993. saints won 2-1 nicky Banger getting both. a young david james in goal that day too lol! relived it in the garden for the next few weeks with me playing the part of Nicky Banger.
